


Stop Drinking My Coffee Joseph

by HeidiJames28



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: Allergies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coffee, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Texting, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeidiJames28/pseuds/HeidiJames28
Summary: Coffee run gone wrong.Every day, Jos drinks the wrong coffee. Every day, he gets annoyed that his coffee order is wrong.Bit of angst but ends with a fluffy happy ending.A/N - don't wanna reveal too much, sorry for the awful summary.
Relationships: Eoin Morgan/Ben Stokes, Joe Root & Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler/Joe Root, Rory Burns/Ollie Pope
Comments: 86
Kudos: 12





	Stop Drinking My Coffee Joseph

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cricket_crazy28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cricket_crazy28/gifts).



> Here lies, cute fluffy Joe/Jos moments. Some Ben/Eoin moments (but not that much). A little bit of Rory/Ollie (I don't really know where this came from, think I had a dream about it). And a lot of brotherly (more motherly) love between Ben and Joe.

"Coffee!" Ollie shouted, walking onto the training field, two trays of coffee in each hand. Rory trailed behind him, also holding coffee trays. Every day, the two batsmen would leave half-an-hour before lunch and get drinks for the rest of the boys at training. 

"Alright lads," Eoin commanded, dropping his bat and pulling his helmet off. "Lunchtime. Eat something, grab a shower, and come back out in an hour-and-a-half." The boys ran towards Rory and Ollie, excited for their coffee, needing caffeine to keep them going through the rest of the day. 

"Jason," Ben called out. "He actually means an hour-and-a-half, not three-hours. I'll trust Sam to get you back on time." Ben wiggled his eyebrows at the couple suggestively causing Sam to blush heavily.

"Fuck off, Ben." A couple of weeks ago, Jason and Sam ended up being two hours late after a break. They showed up in wrinkled clothes, Jason's usually perfect hair was scruffy and tousled, and embarrassed expressions spread across their faces (they claimed they had accidentally fallen asleep, no-one really believed them though). "At least we never spent forty minutes in the shower when everyone else wanted to get ready." 

"Hey, I like long shower's nothing wrong with that," Ben defended. He picked up an abandoned ball from the floor and threw it at Jason. Sam launched a hand-out, plucking the ball from the air before it had a chance to hit his boyfriend. 

"Sure, Ben, that's the reason," Joe teased, "just enjoying a long shower. Eoin seemed to enjoy one as well then. Even though there are only three cubicles and two were in use." Joe squawked as Ben dug his fingers into his side. 

"Oi, leave my baby alone, you monster." Jos jokingly squared up to Ben, putting himself between Joe and Ben.

Joe plastered himself against Jos's back, pressing a quick kiss to his neck before screaming as Jos leant forwards taking Joe's feet off the floor. He screamed, clutching on to Jos's shoulders in fear (fear, he says. Everybody knows there is no way in hell that Jos is ever going to drop Joe. Joe just wanted an excuse to hold on to Jos's incredible shoulders). 

Jos took a step forward, accidentally tripping over Ben's foot as he went. He fell backwards, twisting in mid-air so he landed underneath Joe. Jos groaned loudly as his back hit the floor, gripping Joe's hips as he fell on top of him. Joe let out a surprised laugh before leaning down to brush a gentle kiss against Jos's lips. 

"Ahhh, my innocent eyes." Joe flushed, getting off Jos and helping him off the floor before looking at Ollie in embarrassment. 

"Sorry, Ollie, won't happen again," Joe muttered. Joe always managed to get flustered when PDA occurred in front of the younger boys. Ollie rolled his eyes, locking eyes with Rory and shaking his head. 

"Grab your coffees so we can go have a break," Rory complained, waving the final coffee tray in front of the boys. Jos looked at the coffees and grabbed the one with 'Joe' scrawled across the side. He grumbled as he walked inside and Rory picked up him saying 'for god sake, my name is not Joe'.

Ben shook his head, laughing at the wicket-keeper as he picked up his coffee revealing a cup with 'Jos' inked on it behind. "Still?" He questioned, looking at Joe. 

"Every single day." 

"What are you two on about?" Ollie asked, cuddling into Rory's side as the older-man put his arm around the smaller man's shoulders. Eoin raised an eyebrow at the young batsman, laughing when he blushed and looked at the ground in embarrassment (if only Ollie had been present for the gruelling shovel talks Rory had endured from the entire team. It seemed as if everyone had become rather attached to the adorable Londoner). 

"Jos continuously takes Joe's drink and then complains that it's not his name." Ben sighed, taking a long sip of his coffee. 

"He's such a sweetheart though so he doesn't complain. Just grumbles under his breath as walks away." Joe was beaming as he spoke. He loved his keeper so much that it physically hurt his heart. Ben softened at the look on Joe's face (he would always deny it but something about Joe just made Ben warm and fuzzy inside - although something about Joe made everyone feel warm and fuzzy).

"I really don't understand how he doesn't tell the difference between your coffees." Joe tilted his head in confusion. He looked like such a puppy that Ben just had to ruffle his hair, pressing a gentle kiss to the top before pulling away.

Eoin looked at the pair with fondness. There was a time when he would have been jealous of the pair (earlier on in their relationship when he was less secure) but now all he could see was the brotherly love that surrounded them. 

"Joe," Ben started, "you normally only drink hot chocolate. The only way you'll drink coffee is a latte with half-a-ton of sugar poured in. Jos will only drink double-shot black coffee, sometimes with a shot of syrup. You two are the literal embodiment of sugar and spice."

"Why does he never complain that his drink's wrong?" Ollie questioned, his brows furrowing. A large smile spread across his face when Rory pressed a sweet kiss against his hairline. "Matter of fact, why don't you just tell him he's got the wrong drink?"

"I can't just tell him he's wrong," Joe complained, sitting down and pulling his phone out of his pocket. "He'd get all embarrassed and that's not fair. He'd also never say anything coz that might upset anyone coz he's just too sweet." 

"Sounds like Jos," Ben laughed, flopping down next to Joe on the ground. 

"You guys not going in for lunch?" Rory asked as Eoin lay down next to Ben, gazing up at the sky and looking for shapes in the clouds. 

"Nah, we just chill here," Ben explained, jabbing his fingers into Joe's side just to watch his squirm about on the floor and giggle. "Jos'll come out soon with lunch, he just prefers to shower in the break. We pretend it's a captain and vice-captain meeting and everybody leaves us alone." 

Ollie looked down-heartened and Joe turned to look at him, a contemplative expression crossing his face. "You two can stay if you want, I can get Jos to bring your lunches out too." 

Ollie turned to look at Rory, hope and fear in his eyes. He hadn't been on the team long and he tended to get awkward around the older boys, not wanting to embarrass himself or do something stupid.

"Thanks, Joe," Rory spoke, slumping to the ground, his legs spread in front of him and his arms resting behind, keeping his upper body off the floor. Ollie stood awkwardly for a moment before Rory grabbed his hand and pulled him to the ground next to him. He shifted till his head was in Rory's lap. Rory pulled his bandana off gently and began raking his hand softly through his hair. 

Joe pulled his phone out pulling up his texts to Jos and quickly sent a text. He barely put his phone down before a small sound signalled a response from Jos. 

**Sunshine 12:14**

_Rory and the youngster are staying. Can you please bring their lunches out with you?_

**Darling 12:14**

_Will do angel. Just got out the shower, will be ten mins._

**Darling 12:14**

_Wrong coffee again. Black coffee is not that hard. This tastes like one of those disgusting monstrosities you drink._

**Sunshine 12:15**

_Alright baby, see you soon. Want me to tell them?_

**Darling 12:15**

_Nah it's alright. No need to make them feel bad just cause of a simple mistake._

Joe laughed at his boyfriend's predictability and showed the texts to the group. "Is he saved as darling in your phone? You two are disgustingly cute. What's your name in his phone then?" Ben teased, a deep guttural laugh escaping when Joe went bright red, burying his face in his hands. 

"Don't say, let me guess," Eoin spoke, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on one arm. "It's got to be something horrific like baby, angel-face, baby-boy, gorgeous, or something like that, doesn't it?"

"It's sunshine," Joe muttered causing everyone to laugh loudly. "Ben, you missed complete stupidity from Rash and Mo the other day."

Joe's attempt at distracting the boys proved successful when Ben looked at him in expectance. "Can't be more stupid than Rash thinking Clinton was the president, can it?"

"Worse," Joe began, "Mo asked what the top five biggest countries were and Rash responded with Spain. When Mo proceeded to ask for four more, Rash said 'there aren't that many countries in the world." 

The group burst into pearls of laughter, tears pricking in their eyes as they laughed. "Worst bit was no-one else in the room could tell them the top five." 

"Russia, Canada, China, USA, and Brazil," Ollie rattled off, "how do you guys not know that?" 

The boys turned to look at him in surprise (typically cricketers weren't the brightest men in the world). "Don't mind him, he's a nerd," Rory teased, looking down at Ollie fondly and pressing a kiss to his fingers before tapping them gently against Ollie's forehead. Joe and Ben both held back their cooing not wanting to disturb the sweet moment. 

"I'm not a nerd, I just read occasionally." Ollie blushed heavily when everyone laughed at him, turning and burying his face in Rory's side to hide. The boys messed around waiting for Jos to turn up with food, spending their break the same way they always did. 

* * * * *

For the next week, Ollie and Rory joined the group during the lunch break, laughing as Jos grumbled every time he drank the wrong coffee on his way to grab a shower. The boys had placed bets on how and when he would realise he had been drinking the wrong coffee. 

At the end of a day of training, Jos threw the car keys to Joe before walking to the changing room to grab his kit. On his way out of the ground, he bumped into Rory and Ollie walking out to the car park. 

"Bye guys, see you tomorrow," Jos greeted, waving goodbye to the boys and swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Oh Rory," he called out, "would you be able to add caramel to my coffee tomorrow please?" 

"Yeah, sure thing Jossy," Rory answered, opening his door and slipping inside. "My place or yours?" He asked, turning to Ollie as he started the car. 

"Yours," Ollie blushed, looking away from Rory's inquisitive eyes. "We can cuddle on the sofa and finally watch that documentary I recorded." 

"Nerd." Rory's tone was teasing, with a soft note that made Ollie lean across and press a sweet kiss to his cheek before curling up in his seat and gazing at the older man lovingly. 

"Your nerd though." Ollie grabbed Rory's hand after he changed the gear and entwined their fingers gently. 

"Yeah, my nerd," Rory raised their joined hands and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Ollie's hand before lowering them again. They spent the rest of the journey home holding hands, only letting go when Rory needed to change the gear, with Ollie singing along softly with the radio. 

* * * * *

The next day, Rory and Ollie walked onto the field with the coffees. Everyone took their coffees, rushing inside to grab the first shower. It was an exceedingly hot day and everyone was covered in sweat and mud (their warm-up game of football hadn't been the fairest and a lot of people ending up being tackled to the ground).

Joe laughed as Jos, yet again, picked up the wrong drink before rushing towards the dressing room. He picked up Jos's coffee and took a sip, humming slightly in enjoyment at the sweeter than normal taste. 

"Chris asked if we can chat about the bowlers," Eoin started, slumping to the ground and practically inhaling his coffee as he went. "Wants to know if anyone needs anything, extra training, change in coaching strategy." 

Rory and Ollie looked awkward as they listened. They had been hanging around the boys during lunch for almost two weeks and this was the first time they had actually talked about cricket. 

"Boys you can stay, just don't go telling everyone what's talked about," Joe assured, coughing lightly as he sat down. It's not as if they were talking about anything particularly secret, the captains just preferred to give out information themselves. Ollie and Rory sat down next to the boys, pulling out their phones and messing around whilst they talked cricket. 

Around five minutes later, Joe was trying to explain his plan to try a different opening bowling combination but he kept coughing, unable to finish a sentence. He brought his hand up to rub his throat, swallowing painfully. 

"Joey, you alright?" Ben noticed Joe was struggling and grew increasingly nervous as Joe began gasping for breath. Joe dropped his head, coughing harshly and Ben stood up walking towards him and crouching. "I need you to look at me Joey," Ben cooed, coaxing Joe into raising his head and looking him in the eyes. 

"Huh?" Joe mumbled, his brain going fuzzy. Ben cursed loudly, Joe's eyes were bloodshot and unfocused, drooping closed every so often and his mouth and cheeks looked tender and swollen. 

"What have you eaten, Joey?" Ben asked, his tone growing alarmed as he patted down Joe's pockets obviously in search of something. Eoin, Rory, and Ollie looked on in panic and confusion, they had never seen Joe act like this and they grew worried when Joe didn't respond. "Joey, what've you had?" 

Ben leant forwards allowing Joe to mumble quietly in his eye before he turned to look at Rory, fire alight in his eyes. "What was in the coffee?" 

"It was just Jos's normal," Rory responded, "simple black coffee." 

"Wait, he had caramel in it today." Ollie had been shocked when Rory ordered the coffee but didn't say anything, assuming Jos just wanted something different. 

"Shit," Ben cursed loudly, taping Joe harshly on the cheek to get his attention. "Bub, you've had caramel, where's your EpiPen?" Ben made sure he enunciated clearly so that Joe could understand and turned back to Ollie whilst Joe processed the question. "Go get Jos, as fast as you can." 

Ollie ran off towards the dressing room as Joe patted a hand out for his kit bag. Eoin pushed it towards him in silence and watched as Joe unzipped a pocket, shoving his hand inside but coming up empty. "Left," Joe tried, drawing in a large gasp of air, "home." 

Ben sighed, grabbing Joe's hand and pulling it up to his chest. "Okay bub, you need to breathe with me. In for four, hold for four, out for four." Joe took a jagged breath in, held it and released it with a horrible wheezing noise. 

"If he doesn't have his EpiPen, one of you needs to call the ambulance," Ben commanded to the other two men. Rory pulled his phone out and dialled 999 just as Jos ran up to Joe. He was shirtless and shoeless, obviously having run straight outside when Ollie came in looking stressed. 

"What do I tell them, Ben?"

"What's wrong, Ben? Sunshine, what's happened?" 

Jos and Rory spoke over each other and Ben raised a hand silencing Jos's questions and turned to Rory. "Tell them it's a severe anaphylactic shock. Roughly ten minutes after ingestion. Laboured breathing, swollen face, and harsh coughing. Needs an EpiPen but doesn't have one." 

Rory recited that to the emergency services, who told him an ambulance would be with them shortly but to stay on the line in case any changes occurred. Luckily, they were training in London and NHS response times were quicker there than anywhere else. 

"Jos, I'll explain later. Just get him to lie down with his head in your lap. He'll breathe better elevated instead of cramped up. Keep him calm and get him to match your breathing." Together, Jos and Ben, shifted Joe until he was lying in Jos's lap. One-hand being clutched by Jos, the other by Ben. Jos used his free hand to comb his fingers through Joe's hair and kept his breathing slow, coaxing Joe to copy. 

"Rory can you go wait around the front so they know where to come please." Ben was strangely calm for the situation, or at least that's what it seemed like to everyone else, in reality, his heart was pounding. No matter how many he times he had seen this happen, each time was just as terrifying as before.

"That's great bub," Ben cooed quietly to Joe, not wanting to break the spell of calm Jos had managed to set but knowing that Joe must be scared out of his mind and in need of some reassurance. "Just keep breathing for me, Joey. The ambulance will be here soon." 

Ben kept the praise up until Rory came running over with two paramedics following him with a stretcher. "What seems to be the problem here then?" An older lady spoke. She knelt down next to Joe and pressed her fingers to his throat to gage his pulse. 

"Anaphylaxis, he forgot his EpiPen," Ben explained briefly.

The woman turned her gentle smile on Joe, her voice calming as she took in the situation. "Alright honey," she started, "I know it's probably really hard to breathe but you're doing great. We're just going to get you onto the stretcher and then take you to the hospital." She then turned to Ben and spoke again. "We'll take him to Royal Hospital. He's going to be okay just needs oxygen and drugs." 

"Thank you, we'll make our way there now," Ben responded. The paramedics loaded Joe up on to the stretcher and rushed to the ambulance. Jos remained sitting on the floor, staring at his hands in shock. "Come on Jos, I'll drive you to the hospital. He's going to be okay, this had happened before," Ben reassured, helping Jos off the floor. "I'll text you when we know something." Ben pressed a kiss to Eoin's lips before leading Jos towards the car park. 

* * * * *

Almost forty minutes later and Jos and Ben were sat in the hospital waiting room. The doctor had been out to explain that Joe was okay but currently unconscious due to the effects of the medication. The boys had been sat in silence, neither knowing what to say to the other. 

"Why didn't he say anything?" Jos asked, his voice breaking as he kept flashing back to memories of Joe clawing his throat and begging for breath. 

"You know Joe," Ben started, "he hates to feel like a burden." 

"He's my boyfriend and I thought he was only allergic to mushrooms." Jos's voice died out as he buried his head in his hands. Ben put a calming arm around his back, drawing small circles on his shoulder. 

"He's allergic to like a dozen things and they vary in intensity. Today's was caramel which is one of the worst. Normally he has his EpiPen and it's not as serious but I think he left it at home." Ben hoped that Jos wouldn't ask how Joe had eaten caramel as he didn't want to add guilt onto the boy's array of emotions. 

"You seemed so calm," Jos said in awe, sitting back in the seat and resting his head on Ben's shoulder in exhaustion. 

"I've seen it before." Ben shrugged. "I found out he had allergies when I made dinner once and he went bright red and collapsed. I genuinely thought I had killed him. Next day I made him write all his allergies in my phone and I always checked that before buying food. Haven't lived with the boy in two years and I still check my phone before buying food." 

"Sometimes I wonder if it's forgetfulness with that boy or straight-up lack of self-preservation." Jos laughed sleepily. Since he found out Joe was going to be okay, the adrenaline had slowly seeped out of his body and he was exhausted, his eyes drooping. 

"Lack of self-preservation definitely." Ben chuckled. Noticing Jos falling asleep on his shoulder, he quieted down and rested his head on Jos's. 

* * * * *

An hour later, Jos was finally allowed to see his boyfriend. Joe had woken roughly twenty minutes go but he was still groggy and confused so the doctors made Jos wait. He pushed the door open, spotting Joe curled up on the bed. He looked so small on the hospital bed, surrounded by wires and beeping machines. 

"Hey, sunshine," Jos whispered, not wanting to break the calm of the room. He walked over to the bed and smiled when Joe opened his eyes sleepily, looking blearily up at Jos. "How you feeling, baby-boy?" 

"Tired," Joe responded, "the meds make me sleepy." Joe randomly started giggling, rolling on the bed until he was curled up in a ball at the top of the bed. 

"And maybe a little bit high," Jos laughed, he rubbed his thumb softly along Joe's jaw, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "The doctor says we can go home so you need to get up and put some clothes on." 

"Sleepy," Joe groaned, leaning into Jos's touch. "Wanna sleep." 

"We'll sleep when we get home, sunshine." Jos coaxed Joe out of the bed, supporting him with a strong arm around his waist. He slipped Joe's hospital gown off, leaving him in only his underwear. Jos's body responded against his will at the sight of Joe's lithe body bare in front of him. Jos pushed the thoughts out of his head and helped Joe into his training shorts and a soft worn (most likely Jos's given the size difference) hoodie. He slipped a pair of sliders on Joe's feet.

Joe took a few steps towards the door before his knees buckled underneath him. Jos caught him before he hit the floor. "Steady darling," Jos lifted the younger man, carrying him in a princess hold out the door and towards the hospital car park. Eoin had driven Jos's car over earlier and then him and Ben had headed home after Jos promised to keep them updated. 

Jos gently placed Joe in the backseat of the car, lying down along the seats. He jumped in the front and pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to the boys. 

**He's Aight to The Lunch Squad 15:27**

_Just got out the hospital. He's passed out in the back._

**Fiery Irish 15:27**

_How is he?_

**He's Aight 15:27**

_Tired but otherwise seems fine._

**Posh Boy 15:28**

_Me and Ollie send our love_

**Youngster 15:28**

_*Ollie and I_

**Posh Boy 15:29**

_Watch yourself, little boy, I know where you live._

**Youngster 15:29**

_Big talk from the man currently watching The Little Mermaid_

**Posh Boy 15:30**

_I will come and get you._

**Youngster 15:30**

_Come and get me? I'm sat on your lap, you idiot._

**Protective Mama Bear 15:31**

_Lads have your argument in real life, not over text._

**Protective Mama Bear 15:31**

_Get him home Jos and set him up on the sofa._

**He's Aight 15:31**

_He hates sleeping on the sofa._

**Protective Mama Bear 15:33**

_I know but his breathing will still be laboured and a bit painful for a few hours and he'll breathe better slightly elevated. Put a film on and he won't even realise he's fallen asleep on the sofa. He has an inhaler hidden in his jacket pocket if his breathings too bad. He can take it once every four hours but he won't tell you he needs it, he'll just sit in pain. Oh and make sure he eats something, he'll try and say he's not hungry but that's just the meds making him feel nauseous. He usually likes soup (but not tomato)._

**He's Aight 15:33**

_Alright got it. Make him sleep on the sofa, find his inhaler and feed him. Is that everything?_

**Protective Mama Bear 15:34**

_Yeah, should be. He'll still be groggy for a while but it's not a cause for worry unless he's having trouble remembering things. If you need anything, Eoin and I are always willing to come see ya._

**Fiery Irish 15:35**

_You and Joe have got the rest of the week off, by the way, so we'll see you Monday. You're welcome to stay here but Joe would probably rather go home._

**He's Aight 15:35**

_Yeah, we'll head back up to Leeds. We've got training up there next week anyway. Thanks for everything guys, love you._

**Protective Mama Bear 15:36**

_Love you too. Drive safely and let us know when you're home._

**He's Aight 15:36**

_Of course, I'll drive safely. I've got precious cargo in the back._

Jos put his phone on aeroplane mode so that no messages would come through (he would never do anything to endanger Joe's life whether accidental or not) and hooked his phone up to play some quiet music to keep him entertained for the drive. 

He drove the familiar roads occasionally looking back to check on the sleeping bundle lying across the back seat, singing along softly to his and Joe's favourite playlist. 

* * * * *

**He's Aight 20:03**

_Just got back home. He's still asleep, hasn't woken up yet._

Jos got out the car, walking to the back and gently shook Joe's shoulder until he blearily opened his eyes and stared up at Jos. 

"Hmmm? Where are we?" Joe sat up slowly, look around in shock. "Why is it getting dark?" 

"We're at home, baby-boy. Eoin gave us the rest of the week off." Jos helped Joe out of the car and handed him the keys. "Go settle down on the sofa and I'll make you some food." Joe opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Jos pressing a kiss to his lips. "No arguments you need to eat."

* * * * *

"We need to talk," Jos spoke, turning to Joe. He had waited until Joe was more awake and had eaten. 

Joe whimpered under his breath, swallowing harshly as he turned to look at his boyfriend. "I'm sorry."

"What for, baby-boy?" Joe felt tears well in his eyes. He always hated disappointing Jos but he also hated feeling like a burden. He'd tried to tell Jos about his allergies multiple times but he got too anxious and back out of it. 

"Dunno," Joe was curling into himself, praying that Jos wasn't angry with him.

"Sunshine, look at me," Jos asked. Joe ignored him, opting instead to stare at the ground. Jos shifted towards him slightly, softly putting a hand on his thigh. "Look at me," Jos slipped a bit of dominance into his tone causing Joe to snap his head up quickly. "You're not in trouble, just want to talk." 

"What about?" 

"I think you know what about," Joe still looked nervous, so Jos pulled him until he was sat in his lap, straddling Jos's thighs. Joe tucked his head into Jos's neck, hiding his face. "We've been together for three years and I didn't know had an inhaler or an EpiPen. You told me you were mildly allergic to mushrooms. You never said anything about caramel." 

"I'm mildly allergic to mushrooms, celery, peaches, and coconuts. They tend to just make me sick but I try and avoid them." Joe muttered into his neck causing a shiver to run down Jos's spine at the feeling. "I'm quite badly allergic to fudge, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. They make my breathing laboured but with my EpiPen and some time I'm fine." 

Jos ran his hand up and down Joe's back, trying to be supportive without interrupting his boyfriend. "And then I'm deathly allergic to caramel and almonds. Even if I have my EpiPen I still have to go to the hospital to get checked out." 

"Why didn't you tell me, baby boy?" Jos asked after processing the information, committing it to memory and silently promising never to forget. 

"Didn't wanna be a burden."

"No baby," Jos cooed, gently extracting Joe from his neck and forcing him to look him in the eyes. "You would never ever be a burden to me. I love you more than life itself and I just want you to be safe and happy."

Joe looked down in shame, he knew his health was extremely important to Jos and the older man hated it when Joe didn't take care of himself. "I'm not angry, I just wish you'd told me." Jos sighed deeply, raking his hand through his hair harshly. "When I came out you were coughing and wheezing and I couldn't do anything. You were in so much pain and I couldn't help you."

"Angel," Joe breathed, he hadn't thought about how hard it must have been for Jos. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." 

"Don't apologise, baby," Jos breathed, pressing his lips to Joe's hesitantly. "Why did you have caramel if you're allergic?" Joe averted his eyes, not wanting to tell Jos the reason. "Joseph?" 

Joe was incapable of not responding to that deep dominant tone and the story just began spilling from his lips. "Let me get this straight," Jos begun, "for almost a month I've been drinking your coffee and you've been drinking mine. Today, I asked Rory to add caramel to my coffee and because of that you almost died." 

"It's not your fault Jos," Joe reassured, putting his hand over Jos's mouth to stop his protests. "I never told you what I was allergic to and that's my fault. I should have told you and this would have never happened." 

"Well, I suppose I'm never having caramel in my coffee again," Jos said in response, not wanting to argue with Joe about taking the blame. They had both had stressful enough days. 

"You can still have caramel, just warn me." 

"No, I won't do anything that could put your life in danger." 

"You're too sweet Jossy." Joe kissed Jos lovingly, smiling into it as they had all those years ago with their first kiss. "What do you say we cuddle on the sofa and finish this film and then head to bed?" 

"Sounds perfect, darling." 

* * * * *

Joe woke up a few hours later, cuddled into Jos's side with a blanket covering them both. The television screen was black so obviously, the film had ended a while ago. He reached for his phone to check the time and saw he had several texts. 

**He's Aight to The Lunch Squad 15:36**

_Of course, I'll drive safely. I've got precious cargo in the back._

**Cutie Patootie 00:47**

_You're adorable Jos._

**Cutie Patootie 00:47**

_Also, you're living up to your nickname a little bit there Benjamin._

There was a series of texts in the cricket chat starting with a message from Jos that he must have sent before he fell asleep. 

**Pure Power to Cricket Nation 21:13**

_Alright, lads. Joe is allergic to mushrooms, celery, peaches, coconuts, fudge, asparagus, sweet potatoes, caramel, and almonds. Please avoiding eating these around him. If he does end up eating them, find myself or Ben. If you can't find us, call 999 and get him to take his EpiPen, understood?_

The boys had all responded with various yeses and agreements, not wanting to upset Jos as everybody knew how protective he could be of his boyfriend (don't tell Joe but he once threatened one of the Indian players who had insulted him whilst on the pitch). Joe was touched by how much his boyfriend loved him and couldn't help but press a kiss to his chest before opening his final message from Ben. 

**Mama Bear 21:32**

_I see you spoke to Jos. I'm proud of you. Hope you're feeling better._

**Baby Duckie 00:49**

_You were right, I should have told him at the start. I really scared him today. Still a bit groggy but otherwise good._

**Mama Bear 00:50**

_I'm always right._

**Mama Bear 00:50**

_He wasn't the only one who was scared. Doesn't matter how many times it happens, watching you struggle for breath is horrifying. At least I understand what was happening._

**Baby Duckie 00:50**

_Why are you still up?_

**Baby Duckie 00:51**

_I'm really sorry, Bennie. I know how much it worries you, I'll be better in the future._

**Mama Bear 00:52**

_Couldn't sleep. Wanted to check you were okay first._

**Mama Bear 00:52**

_You don't have to apologise for this. This one wasn't your fault, you didn't know and you didn't think to check. The peach incident of 2014 though, that was your fault._

**Baby Duckie 00:53**

_Do you have to bring that up all the time? I forgot what a peach looked like, I thought I was eating a plumb, leave me alone._

**Mama Bear 00:53**

_Yes, I will bring this up all the time because you are stupid. How do you forget what a peach looks like?_

**Baby Duckie 00:54**

_In my defence, I hadn't slept in like three days so I was a bit out of it._

**Mama Bear 00:54**

_Joseph Edward Root, that is not a good enough excuse. I told you to go to sleep about forty times that week and you refused._

**Baby Duckie 00:55**

_Oooo, mama bear Bennie's out, I'm so scared._

**Mama Bear 00:55**

_You should be._

**Mama Bear 00:55**

_I'm glad you're okay, Joey._

**Baby Duckie 00:56**

_Thank you for everything, Ben._

**Mama Bear 00:56**

_You're welcome bub. You know how important you are to me._

**Baby Duckie 00:57**

_I really mean it. You are the greatest friend I could have ever asked for. I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I don't know what I did to deserve you._

**Mama Bear 00:57**

_You didn't have to do anything. You walked into my life and innocent little child and I had to protect you._

**Baby Duckie 00:57**

_I am older than you._

**Mama Bear 00:58**

_Well then act it._

**Baby Duckie 00:58**

_Just for that, I'm not going to tell you the secret I know._

**Mama Bear 00:59**

_Joey, I was only joking. Please tell me?_

**Baby Duckie 01:00**

_I heard from a little birdie (a certain fast bowler) that the bowler in question might have a small crush on a pair of ginger cricketers but that the bowler was too nervous to approach them. However, I have it on good authority that the ginger cricketers might also have a crush on the fast bowler._

**Mama Bear 01:01**

_You're kidding._

**Baby Duckie 01:01**

_I wouldn't lie about that to you. Ask him out._

**Baby Duckie 01:01**

_I'm going to sleep now. I'm shattered. Love you, Bennie._

**Mama Bear 01:02**

_I'll talk to Eoin but we will definitely be making a move soon._

**Mama Bear 01:02**

_Love you too, Joey. Sleep well._

Joe put his phone down, warmth swelling in his chest as he cuddled back into Jos and fell into a peaceful sleep. 

* * * * *

Joe woke up the next day, cuddled in Jos's arms in their bed. He wasn't sure how he got there but he was sure Jos had probably carried him when he woke up. (Spoiler alert - he had. Joe always complained if they slept on the sofa so Jos carefully carried him to their bed, tenderly changing his clothes to the softest ones he could find before wrapping him in his arms and pressing a tender kiss to Joe's hair before falling into a deep sleep.) Joe burrowed back into Jos's arms not wanting to leave and ended up falling asleep again until mid-afternoon.

(Jos also swore upon everything he knew that he would both protect Joe and show him how important he was to him. He would never let Joe feel inadequate or like a burden again. He loved him too much for that. And if when Joe woke up properly he saw a list of his allergies written up on the fridge and teared up slightly, who could blame him? If you had someone as sweet as Jos in your life, you'd cry a little too). 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this ended up being a lot longer than expected. 
> 
> Btw, I do not claim to be a medical professional and I have no idea what happens when you have a severe allergic reaction. Hope it's not wrong but I wanted something that lent to the fluffy and cute ending. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
